Hello all. Need some guidance. Many of you have seen my home layout, the Cowford and Southern if you have come to the jax meetings. The Cowford & Southern runs from Jax down to Orlando down what is now called the "A" line. I use all the towns along the line but the industries are made up for operational purposes. The C&S has no motive power of its own but uses ACL and SCL motive power. If this were real, what would the C&S be considered? A branch line? A subsidiary? Or would it even be anything? John

-- John Buckley (takinthetrain@juno.com), June 26, 2003

Answers

Depending on its revenue classification, it could be a Class II, usually called a regional railroad, or a Class III, normally called a shortline railroad. It could also be a subsidiary of another railroad, Class I or otherwise, or even of a non-railroad entity such as a holding company. Based on what I perceive as its mainline overtones (Jax to Orlando mainline)I would probably classify it the same as a Florida East Coast which I am not sure at this time is a Class I trunkline or a Class II, regional, railroad. I tend to think it is a regional. However, it is a subsidiary of an entity called Florida East Coast Industries. As you can see there is a lot of overlap and some ambiguity in the classification or designation of the various types of railroads.

-- Russell Tedder (srtedder@arkansas.net), June 27, 2003.

I would say it would be a subsidiary.

-- Gary Riccio (g.riccio@worldnet.att.net), June 26, 2003.